The rollout of vaccines across the world has put an end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight. Yet misinformation about Covid and vaccine lies threaten to prolong the pandemic, costing lives.
Anti-vaxxers met in private in late October 2020 to discuss their plans to disrupt the Covid vaccine. They didn't realise CCDH was there too. The Anti-Vaxx Playbook is our new report exposing their tactics, messages and use of social media. Our report explains how health experts, the public, tech giants and legislators can counter these harmful plans.
Vaccines are among the safest, most effective and consequential inventions in medical history. They have saved countless people from disease and death. And yet, despite scientific consensus, vaccines are opposed by a growing social media ecosystem of Counter Enlightenment actors, snake oil salesmen and the misinformed
Facebook and Instagram are hosting dozens of accounts that sell neo-Nazi merchandise to fund far-right extremism. Facebook has allowed them to gain 80,000 followers despite being warned about the problem two years ago. We expose the international far-right networks behind these accounts and their links to known extremists. It shows how tech giants have provided them with a platform to reach mainstream audiences and generate funding.
Google’s Ads service is placing adverts on, and therefore funding, websites publishing election-related misinformation. Google also profits from each ad. Trust in democracy is under threat. Misinformation about mail-in ballots is being spread online in order to suppress voter turnout, while conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and the rigging of the election undermine trust in the democratic process. This risks a break in the peaceful transfer of power.
Our latest report exposes how social media companies have helped sophisticated and rapidly growing anti-vaxx networks gain 58 million followers. Despite promises to keep users safe, we show how Big Tech itself makes up to $1 billion a year in advertising and other revenues from this industry, which threatens the effectiveness of a future Coronavirus vaccine.
Social media giants claim to be taking the Coronavirus 'infodemic' seriously. Our latest report, produced with Restless Development, tests these claims. Volunteers flagged misinformation that breached social media giants' standards using their own reporting systems. However, over 9 in 10 of the posts reported had no action taken against them.
Read our report on David Icke, the hate actor, conspiracy theorist and spreader of COVID misinformation. Icke has been embraced by Big Tech firms, which both power and profit from his hate and misinformation. The report also details Icke’s long history of using social media to promote his racism, attacking Jewish people, Muslims and migrants.
Don't Spread the Virus is an evidence-driven approach to countering the scourge of misinformation on Coronavirus online, on social media and messaging apps. Follow the guidance, which is endorsed by the UK Government, to drown out misinformation with information that keeps us safe.
Don't Feed The Trolls is a practical guide to dealing with online trolls. The report draws on new and leading-edge research to explore the psychology of trolling, why trolls behave the way they do, and the best way to deal with them.